Wednesday, 30 November 2016

Hello Lovelies,
as I mentioned in my previous post, at the start of this week I was nearing the completion of my 1000 mile challenge. That's walking 1000 outdoor miles in 2016. A few of you may recall I also did this last year, and just made it on New Year's Eve.THIS post has a lot of detail about what I did last year and I started again with the same rules and the same goal at the start of 2016.

This year I have reached that goal already. Yay. Yesterday I wasn't starting work until lunchtime, and Eldest was home again, so we both headed out to do the final few miles on local footpaths.

It was such a beautiful, frosty morning. With icy puddles to crack.....

And rock hard ground under your feet.

The fields had a pink tinge I loved.

And the grass was nearly white.

Such long shadows.

Hello :0)

It was quite magical.

The familiar made special.

And when we got to my favourite church Eldest did a great job recording this 1000 mile moment for me.

Then we carried on.

Eldest is always happy to be outdoors. Here he's telling me how he could mend the rotting footpath sign...bless him.

At sixteen he's still quiet the chatterbox. I hope it never changes.

I loved the stunning Ivy berries ......

And the misty view of distant hills.

and the free apples kindly put out by a neighbour.

This year I may not have gone anywhere exciting to complete my challenge, but I had lovely company and perfect weather. I feel so lucky.

I must thank all of you lovely people for the many congratulations, both here and on Instagram. You all all so kind.
I especially love to hear that I have inspired some of you to join the challenge too, or simply to get outdoors and walk a little more. It's so good for both body and soul.

Of course I will continue to record my mileage and see how many miles I manage by the end of the year.
Then next year I will start all over again...who will join me?
Jacquie x

Monday, 28 November 2016

Today Eldest and I went for a walk in the late Autumn sunshine. What a gift such a day seems, especially when I would normally be at work and he would be home alone ( no college on Mondays for him)

It was chilly, especially at the waters edge, but the reflections there were gorgeous. There's something special about the light when the sun is so low in the sky in the middle of the day. How I loved the stillness and spotting many of my favourite birds. I was especially happy to get a photo for a Wren (even if it was only a rear view)

We had a simple picnic of homemade cake (tea loaf) and shared some hot chocolate from a flask. I'm all about hot food and hot drinks at this time of year. they really do keep me warm. I loved sitting under the branches of an old oak tree to enjoy our snack, their colour is at it's best right now I think...and the leaves must surely fall very soon.

This is our third visit to the National trust's Calke Abbey...and they have all been in the closed season (no access to the house or gardens) . I must try to remedy that one day. Though to be honest, I'm happiest walking the grounds, and the nearby Staunton Harold reservoir .

The stable block is open year round...and it has excellent toilets, with pretty flowers (or greenery) picked from the gardens. What more could you ask :0)

Jacquie x

P.S. this 3.5 mile walk takes my total for the year so far to 997.....so close to my 1000 miles goal ( and it's still November....go me :0)